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SEC Sports
Alabama looks ready for LSU, Malzahn's big bet fails
Alabama's defense is peaking at the right time before LSU, Auburn's offense dooms what could have been a special season and more from Week 9.
Let’s start by stating the obvious: Arkansas is a truly terrible football team.
The Razorbacks haven’t won an SEC game in two years and showed no signs Saturday night that they’ll win one in 2019. You have to take everything that happens against Arkansas with a grain of salt.
Even with those caveats, Alabama looked good in an easy 48-7 win over the Razorbacks.
After an uneven performance against Tennessee, quarterback Mac Jones looked much more comfortable against Arkansas. Everyone knew Alabama would win Saturday, but there were real questions about how Jones would fare in his first career start in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian didn’t ask Jones to do too much, limiting the downfield attempts for more short, quick throws, and it worked well against an overmatched Razorbacks defense. Jones wasn’t perfect but finished an efficient 18 of 22 for 235 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Jones’ performance plus an added emphasis on the run game at least provided a blueprint on what Alabama’s offense could look like against LSU should Tagovailoa be unable to go. That’ll likely prove moot as all signs point to Tagovailoa playing in two weeks in the Game of the Century, Part Deux, but Crimson Tide fans can breathe a little easier knowing the worst-case scenario looks slightly more palatable now.
Even more critical than Jones was how impressive Alabama’s defense looked. Terrell Lewis was an absolute menace as a pass-rusher, and though he didn’t record a sack, he led the way with six quarterback hurries including one that forced an interception that Trevon Diggs returned 84 yards for a touchdown. Lewis will be vital against an LSU offensive line that looked vulnerable against Auburn and benefited from multiple no calls on obvious holding penalties. Alabama’s defensive line isn’t as proven or talented as Auburn’s, but even in a loss, Auburn showed you could make LSU quarterback Joe Burrow uncomfortable in the pocket.
Alabama forced four turnovers and held Arkansas to only 213 offensive yards in the Tide’s best defensive performance of the season. There are still question marks, namely middle linebacker Shane Lee and the anxiety that comes with him in coverage, but Alabama’s defense is peaking at the perfect time ahead of the most challenging stretch of the season.
LSU has the most impressive collection of wins in the country and will be the toughest opponent Alabama faces in the regular season. The Crimson Tide has won the last eight games over the Tigers but on paper the Nov. 9 clash should be the closest game between the two in at least five years. The hype is going to be out of control.
Alabama will cherish every day it has before that game so Tagovailoa and a host of other players can get as healthy as possible. But against a terrible Arkansas team, Alabama looked ready for what’s next.
Auburn offense dooms season
Gus Malzahn made a big, risky bet on himself when he took back offensive play-calling duties after Chip Lindsey left in December. He had tried and failed to let his offensive coordinators handle the play-calling, earning a reputation as a meddler, before deciding once and for all that he would take back the duties that propelled him on the path to a $7 million a year salary at an SEC program. He went as far as saying that he ever gave up play-calling duties was a mistake.
If Auburn’s offense was going to fail, it would be on him.
Well, Auburn’s offense has failed. A 23-20 loss to LSU Saturday solidified that.
In the Tigers’ two biggest games of the season -- at Florida and LSU -- the offense faltered and struggled when the defense did everything it could to make them winnable. In both games, true freshman quarterback Bo Nix wasn’t able to rise to the occasion, completing only 41.9 percent of his passes and throwing four total interceptions. In four third-quarter drives against LSU, Nix managed a total of four passing yards as Auburn saw a slim 13-10 lead turn into a 23-13 deficit by the beginning of the fourth quarter. Malzahn’s inconsistent play-calling and poor offensive line pass protection didn’t do him any favors, either. Nix might eventually break Auburn’s 20-year losing streak in Death Valley, but the moment was too big for him in his first attempt.
And yet that’s more an indictment on Malzahn and his inability to develop quarterbacks which forced Nix into a starting role immediately for an Auburn season that had all the makings to be special. That Nix has looked like a true freshman -- up and down with moments of great and awful mixed together -- should have been expected. You don’t want to have to rely on a freshman quarterback to win games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and Tiger Stadium.
That Malzahn has had to is why the Tigers’ stout defense, which might be the country’s best, will go to waste this season. The defense has done all it could to keep Auburn undefeated this year, and yet the Tigers already have two losses before even playing rivals Georgia and Alabama. My colleague Joe Goodman aptly pointed out that it’ll be the best defense no one remembers.
Knowing that your playoff dreams are dead on Oct. 26 has to hurt. Knowing you blew what could be a once-in-a-generation group of defensive talent, led by Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson, hurts even worse.
That will be the legacy of this Auburn team. A competent offense could have made it one of the greats, but instead, it’ll be remembered as another “what if. With his favorite scapegoats now gone, Malzahn has no one to blame but himself.
Playoff picture taking form
There is still a month left in the regular season but the College Football Playoff picture became a lot more clear after a wild weekend.
We now know the SEC is down to four contenders. The Big 12 might be on the outside looking in again. Notre Dame is done. The ACC is a mess outside of Clemson. The Big Ten’s top two teams are the real deal.
With Auburn’s loss to LSU on the road, the SEC is down to four schools that have a legitimate shot at making the playoff: Alabama, LSU, Florida and Georgia. Florida and Georgia, two one-loss teams, play next weekend in a knockout game that will likely determine the SEC East crown. Alabama and LSU play the following weekend in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown that won’t eliminate whichever team loses but will certainly make the path to the CFP harder.
Oklahoma suffered a massive setback in a road loss to Kansas State that could keep the Big 12 out of the playoff. With Texas and Iowa State both losing Saturday too, Oklahoma’s only remaining chance at a quality win will be at undefeated Baylor on Nov. 16. Even if the Sooners win out, they’ll likely need help to sneak back into the top four. The Bears are currently ranked outside the top 10 but would almost assuredly make the playoff if they finish the season as undefeated Big 12 champions.
The Big Ten has two real contenders left in Ohio State and Penn State setting up a huge game Nov. 23 in Columbus. The loser of OSU-PSU could very well be battling the loser of Alabama-LSU for that final playoff spot if everything else plays out as expected. Minnesota is also undefeated but has zero quality wins and still has to play Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Current CFP projections:
1) LSU
2) Ohio State
3) Alabama
4) Clemson
First two out: Penn State and Florida
Most panicked fanbase: Texas
Texas is still, predictably, not back. The Longhorns entered the season with national championship aspirations and early Heisman buzz for Sam Ehlinger after beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl last season. Those aspirations died with losses to LSU and Oklahoma but Saturday’s loss to TCU reiterated how far Texas still has to go to be “back.” Tom Herman is clearly better than his predecessor, Charlie Strong, but Texas hasn’t won the Big 12 in a decade and fans have to wonder whether he’ll ever deliver anything better than that Sugar Bowl win.
Most pumped fanbase: Memphis
Memphis is known as a basketball city but a thrilling 42-41 win over Tulsa on a missed 29-yard field goal at the end of regulation might secure some converts. The win means next week’s Memphis-SMU game will be ABC’s primetime game, a highly valued timeslot for Group of 5 programs, and could mean College GameDay is headed to Memphis. Tulsa almost spoiled what could be a special night for Memphis football next weekend but Tigers fans are rightfully ecstatic the kick sailed left.
Hot Seat Watch:
1) Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
The rumblings continue to grow louder that this could be Dantonio’s last season in East Lansing. Michigan State is on a three-game losing streak after a 28-7 loss to Penn State with a resurgent Illinois and in-state rival Michigan up next. Dantonio has accomplished great things but the program is clearly trending downward and he hasn’t helped himself by refusing to make real changes after a disappointing 2018 season. Dantonio might not be outright fired but he could be encouraged to retire after a long career.
2) Chad Morris, Arkansas
Morris has been a frequent name on the Hot Seat Watch despite only being in his second year as the Razorbacks’ head coach. Everyone expected Alabama to blow out Arkansas -- it did -- but it was striking just how putrid this Razorbacks team is. Arkansas is a really, really bad football team, and, as this space has said in the past, that’s not going to change if you give Morris another year.
3) Bobby Wilder, Old Dominion
The Fighting Lane Kiffins wrecked Old Dominion, 41-3, with the Monarchs totaling only 204 offensive yards. As we detailed last week, the odds of Wilder returning next season grow more and more unlikely with each blowout loss.
